1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to telephone networks and more particularly to determining cost of voice calls according to various criteria
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that voice calls can be carried as packetized data over the Internet or some other packetized data transport network. As large packet based telephone networks emerge, there is greater likelihood that a call may originate on a telephone coupled to a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) and have a destination on the packetized network. When a call is received into the packetized network, it is routed to the appropriate address on the network. Private packetized networks carrying voice traffic are becoming national and even international in coverage.
One problem with receiving calls from a PSTN or another network into a packetized telephone network is that a way must be found to charge for the calls appropriately. Traditionally, that has been done on a per call basis. For instance, each call entering the packetized network is charged on a per minute basis. If a large entity, such as a telephone company is the source of the calls entering the network, charging on a per call basis results in a complex billing process. For example, a telephone company may originate one hundred million calls during a particular billing period. To generate a bill on a per call basis is computationally intensive due to the large numbers of calls involved. The complexity of such a billing approach is undesirable both from the perspective of the party creating the bill as well as the party receiving the bill.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a billing approach that has reduced complexity and greater flexibility.